Azernews.Az

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said the bloc is not considering military involvement in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict. The statement came during a news briefing held with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian at the NATO headquarters, Arminfo news agency reported.
"The Upper Garabagh conflict is certainly a problem we are seriously concerned with, but NATO does not fathom its role in it beyond assisting the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group [brokering the peace process]," Rasmussen said.
He expressed hope that the peace efforts would yield fruit soon and that private meetings on the highest level between Armenia and Azerbaijan mediated by the Minsk Group would be continued.
Asked by Armenian journalists what position NATO would take if Azerbaijan resorts to military action to settle the long-standing dispute, Rasmussen reminded that NATO is not directly dealing with the conflict.
"We have partner relations with the sides, and we call on our allies to seek a peaceful solution. But I do not see a chance for NATO’s military involvement in this conflict."
The Armenian president responded to the statement with confusing remarks.
"But I have never heard – now or before – that NATO has absolutely no role to play in the process of settling the Upper Garabagh conflict, in particular, if the situation boils into a miliatry phase," Sarkisian said.
"As is known, the Garabagh problem is addressed by the OSCE Minsk Group. Armenia and Azerbaijan are members of the Council of Europe, and European institutions are engaged both in resolving the problem and in normalizing our relations. NATO, as far as I imagine, is also responsible for European security and, as far as I understand, Europe has no armed forces other than those of NATO. However, what I said is not grounds to conclude that, if conflict erupts, NATO will definitely enter the region. But I think that my words are crystal clear."
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Peace talks are brokered by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France.
Sarkisian also claimed that "experienced officers of the skilled Armenian army", which is controlled democratically and transparently, are ready to fully fulfil their duties and could fight "countries that are ten-fold larger than Armenia."
Garabagh settlement was one of the key topics during Sarkisian’s discussions with the NATO secretary general, Armenian media reported.
Sarkisian also said that Yerevan would not allow Turkey’s involvement in brokering a solution of the conflict, claiming that Ankara had greatly contirbuted to the recent derailment of the normalization in Armenia-Turkey relations, which have been hostile for decades.*